This invention relates to support devices. More particularly, this invention relates to gratings for supporting loads.
Gratings, both wooden and metal type, have been used for many years for support means. Traditionally, gratings have been used as floor type supports in areas where visual access or fluid pass-through capabilities are required. Also, gratings have been used as stair treads and the like where non-skid benefits, visual access or fluid flow-through capabilities are desired.
One area of potential use for metal gratings which has not been fully exploited, however, is that which requires the free flow of fluid, e.g. air, water or the like, under the grating rather than through the grating. Thus, in cold storage areas where it is desirable to keep stored product dry notwithstanding the occurrence of continuing condensation, metal gratings have proved inadequate because their span required for permitting free fluid flow has been too great to permit adequate support. Alternatively, if adequately supported, their free flow area has been restricted considerably.
This same difficulty arises with respect to floor racks for maintaining loads off the floor for sanitary reasons as well as for support means wherein it is desirable to circulate warm area or desiccated air not only around stored products but also under stored products.
An additional difficulty with recognized flow type gratings has been that such gratings in the past have been relatively expensive to manufacture and thus commercially less desirable than they otherwise might be.